As the United States celebrates its Semiquincentennial in 2026, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, Village Preservation is proud to stage our “Revolutionary Village,” a thematic framework guiding programs, publications, and public engagement over the course of the year. Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo have shaped and been shaped by 250 years of American culture, politics, and reform movements.
Our Revolutionary Village initiative embraces this long view of history. Rather than focusing solely on the Revolutionary War era, Revolutionary Village highlights 250 years of ongoing revolution in politics, culture, the arts, and society that have unfolded in our communities.
From abolitionism and women’s suffrage to labor organizing, LGBTQ+ rights, free speech, and artistic experimentation, these neighborhoods have consistently served as laboratories for American democracy. Revolutionary Village recognizes the spirit that animated the struggle for independence also fueled later movements that expanded and challenged the meaning of freedom and equality in the United States.
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Under the Revolutionary Village banner, this year’s public programs will examine 250 years of local and national history using the themes of sounds, ideas, words, performance, and place. Our neighborhoods’ extraordinary contribution to American music, politics, literature, dance and theater, and social development would have been impossible without the incredible individuals who made it all happen. A large part of the Revolutionary Village theme will shine a light on the life of these individuals who we are calling “Rebels with a Cause.” Revolutionary Village encourages us to see American history not as a finished story, but as an ongoing process deeply embedded in our very own community. The Village’s streets, buildings, public spaces, and residents bear witness to that process, from the nation’s earliest days through the present.
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Upcoming Revolutionary Village Events
Film Screening: Psychedelicized: The Electric Circus Story
May 27, 6:00 PM
In person | Free | Pre-registration required
From Minuets to Militia : Manhattan’s country estates in the Revolution
June 4, 6:00 PM
In person | Free | Pre-registration required
Tour of the Keith Haring Foundation
June 5, 3:00 PM
In person | Free | Pre-registration required
Still Unprotected: The Unrecognized LGBTQ+ Landmarks of Greenwich Village and the East Village
June 16, 6:00 PM
Virtual | Free | Pre-registration required
Celebrating 90 Years of First Houses
June 24, 6:00 PM
Virtual | Free | Pre-registration required
Hidden Histories of Jazz Age New York: From the Suppressed to the Strange
June 25, 6:00 PM
In person | Free | Pre-registration required
Student Education Programs
Revolutionary Streets is a three-part, interactive history workshop that uses the street names of Lower Manhattan to explore Patriot and Loyalist figures from the American Revolution. Through maps, debate, and games, students investigate how New York City’s streets reflect power, politics, and historical memory.
Additional Resources
